close iframe icon
approved icon kahi avatar
kahi
Banner

Waves of light



behind the lens badge

Views

1125

Likes

Awards

Action Award
Contest Finalist in Landscapes And Sand Photo Contest
Peer Choice Award
Contest Finalist in A Dry Tree Photo Contest
  View more
Peer Award
Fame_Bright_Photography MyNikonLens roximax johnbarnes_3189 JonG budjohnson Egoryan +45
Superb Composition
DanielArrellanes larryollivier reginaldojames micheleanunziata Alfredo_Jose jmimages DariuszPinski +7
Outstanding Creativity
BrunoHeeb PennySlacke PtrBsh HKideckel royceahr chad_clark sharonclark_4291 +5
Absolute Masterpiece
charterswilliamosborne Tanya333 tabbieroberts FruzsinaGBerkes jasontysonphoto johannesoehl StaceS79 +2
All Star
millefiori67 Pixelecta Gayle_Solis jevgenijscolokov Miguel_Sequeira
Top Choice
peplech vitor glendagriffith lylegallup
Superior Skill
jdmarks64 jillbrooks
Magnificent Capture
StavruDaniel FrancebluebirdPhotography
Genius
jaascheffler

Top Ranks

My Best Shot Photo Contest Vol12Top 10 rank
My Best Shot Photo Contest Vol12Top 10 rank week 1
The African Continent Photo ContestTop 30 rank
The African Continent Photo ContestTop 30 rank week 1
Landscapes And Sand Photo ContestTop 10 rank
Landscapes And Sand Photo ContestTop 10 rank week 1
Everything Nature Photo ContestTop 10 rank
Everything Nature Photo ContestTop 10 rank week 1
Our Natural Planet Photo ContestTop 10 rank
Our Natural Planet Photo ContestTop 10 rank week 1
ViewBug Photography AwardsTop 10 rank
ViewBug Photography AwardsTop 10 rank week 1
Diagonals And Composition Photo Contest Vol 1Top 10 rank
Orange Is The Color Photo ContestTop 20 rank month 1
Diagonals And Composition Photo Contest Vol 1Top 10 rank week 1
A Dry Tree Photo ContestTop 10 rank
A Dry Tree Photo ContestTop 10 rank week 1
Covers Photo Contest Vol 36Top 30 rank
Unforgettable Landscapes Photo Contest by ZenfolioTop 30 rank week 2

Categories


6 Comments | Report
Appdragon
 
Appdragon September 15, 2017
Love the sky
robweir PRO+
 
robweir September 15, 2017
Love the relatively small size of the tree in the frame giving a sense scale compared with the dune. Nice balance with the effect of the low light on the upper right of the frame
FruzsinaGBerkes
 
FruzsinaGBerkes February 22, 2018
Beautiful lights, nice tones, I truly love those warm colours!¨
20westphotos
 
20westphotos February 25, 2018
Amazing image
reginaldojames
 
reginaldojames September 16, 2018
Comparações que nos levam a meditar. Parabéns!
DNproSTUDIO
 
DNproSTUDIO October 31, 2018
amazing photo
See all

Behind The Lens

Location

Sossusvlei, Namibia on December 16th, 2016

Time

It was around 8:30 in the morning. The sun was already quite high, so golden hour was long over. I was already on my way out of the park, when I noticed the play of light on that specific dune: the inclination of the sun exactly matched the inclination of the dune's side, and brought out every little bump and dent beautifully. The drama lasted only a minute or so.

Lighting

All natural light, of course. It was lucky being in the right place at the right time, and being able to pull out the camera fast enough before everything was over.

Equipment

Nikon D750 with a Nikkor 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6 handheld @400mm f/8

Inspiration

The play of light on the dune caught my eye, and I positioned myself so that I could compose with the photogenic tree in the foreground and fill the frame with the dune in the background. Although this tree has been photographed a lot, I think my image is special because of the sidelight on the dune.

Editing

I use DxO as raw processor and did a bit of the usual stuff (contrast, sharpening, reduced highlights, vibrancy). I cloned out some spots and I also had to crop a bit so that I could eliminate all sky from the frame, as the telephoto was already at full length and I did not have enough time to walk closer.

In my camera bag

I have a Nikon D750 with the 80-400mm (the one I used for this photo) and the Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8, Sigma 35mm f/1.4 Art, Nikkor 20mm f1.8. These are my most used lenses. I also own a Lensbaby macro kit which I use mostly for flowers. Plus a tripod, a set of extension tubes, some ND and polarizing filters. When I am traveling by car, I usually have everything with me just in case. On a hike of course, I select more carefully and carry around usually only one or two lenses.

Feedback

Namibia in general and Sossusvlei specifically are amazing places. But it's not easy to photograph during the golden hour, because the park opens at sunrise, and then you have to drive from the entrance to the location (in this case around 40 minutes), to Deadvlei it is 1 hour drive plus a 30 min walk. By the time you arrive at location the good light show is mostly over. Same on the way out, because the park closes at sunset. You can be lucky (as I was) to capture spectacular light outside the golden hour, or invest in a special permit to enter earlier / leave later (this must be possible, because there exist night photos from e.g. Deadvlei, but I have no idea how to get them), or stay at the park's campground or the (expensive) lodge, then you can enter 1 hour earlier / leave one hour later.

See more amazing photos, follow kahi

It’s your time to shine! ☀️

Share photos. Enter contests to win great prizes.
Earn coins, get amazing rewards. Join for free.

Already a member? Log In

By continuing, you agree to our Terms of Service, and acknowledge you've read our Privacy Policy Notice.